Tobacco-leaf-stemming machine.



G. r. BUTLER. TOBACCO LEAP STEMMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILEDOOT, 1898.

G. P. BUTLER.

TOBACCO LEAF STBMMING MAGHINB.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 5, 1898.

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G. P. BUTLER.

TOBACCOl LEAF STEMMING MACHINE.- APPLICATION rum 00T. 5, 189e.

920,264. Patented May 4, 1909.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WIJZE/a 65565,' y [nnen/for.' W Geayeuey" Wm MWI k 7W @fr G. P. BUTLER.

TOBACCO LEAF STEMMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.5, 1898.

Patented May 4, 1909.

8 SHEETS-SHBET 4.

...mmmunllliu Y Inventor:v Gear eulw .Byw-Httorney,

l o f G. P. BUTLER.

TOBACCO LEAF STBMMING MACHINE.

APIPLIUATIOR FILED 00T. 5, 1898.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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Patented May 4, 1909.

Witnesse G. P. BUTLER.

TOBACCO LEAF STEMMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.5,1898.

` 926.26% Pand may 4, 1909.

B SHEETS-SHEET 6.

Mzessgs:

- G. P. BUTLER. TBAG() LEAF STEMMING MACHINE.

YYLIOATION FILED 00T. 5, 1898.

Panented May 4, 1909.

u ,u fab' l'f G. P. BUTLER.

TOBACCO LEAP STBMMING MACHINE.

- APPLICATION FILED 0OT.5,1B98. 929,264?, men-tea may 4, 1909.

8 SHIETS-SKBET 8.

" -of the stem during the stripping of the) blade 'ming Machines, of,which"the following is a .stem and the blade of the leaf are separated -bystemming from any ppint in the length 25 preferred construction of themachine emvthe leaf-toward the butt end thereof.A 3o

-to hold-.the stemfirmly especially near the end' of the leaf, where thestem is somes -the treatment 4or stemming of the leaf.

.ments or gripping-faces successively-effective UNITE STATESentran-Toumou.

IGEORGE P.' BUTLER, oF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TOBACCO-L`EAF`STEMMING MACHINE.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. BUTLER, a citizen pf the United States;residing in New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have. invented certain new'and useful Improvements inTobacco-Leaf-Stemspecification'.

Thisfinvention'relates to leaf-'treating ma.- chines, and especially tomachines for stemming tobacco or similar leaves. The present inventionis in the nature of an im rovement upon that shown, described and `caimed in my prior patent No. 615,248 granted December 6, `1898, andvembodies man -features not contained in said patent all of w ich at thepresent time are deemed desirable for the purpose of properly operatingupon a leaf to se arate the blade and stem portions, .thereof fom' eachther.

.JMy present'improvements vare a plicable to any :leaf-treating machinein w 1ich`- the thereof in either o'r both directions,but in the odyingthese improvements the stemming Will be effected from a point near 'thetip of4 When a leaf is stemmed by stripping the blade portion from thestem, and especially Whenthe blade is stripped from the 'tipte- Ward therbutt of the leaf-stem, it is desirable what thin and weak and liable tobe broken, and in stemming-machines as heretofore constructed noadequate provision has been made, so far as I am aware, for gri )pingthe stem firmly at different points in the length thereof, andespeciallyv along the weaker end from such stem.

One of the main objectsof my present improvements is the provision ofchangeable- ;rri .leaf-holdingor stem-holding means for ho ding the leafor its stem at different Qints in the length thereof atdifferent timesuring Usually the stem-holding -or, ste1n-gripping means will embody aplurality of holding eleatdifferent points in the length of the stemduring the' stemming 4operation, it beingrintended that as 4more andmore .of the blade portions `of the leaf are separated from the ispecification of Letters Patent. Application ined october's,

Patented May 4, 1909. 189s. serial No. 692,759.

' stem the` stem shall be reffripped at one ormore points in its length,t e regri ping fol lowing the stripping action'as close y as may bedeemed necessary. As the leaves to be stemmed are ordinarilyfed forwardby'snitable feed mechanism while they are being stemmed, it will be seenthat in a' mechanism constructed to operate thus, the re-gripping of theleaf or stem willtake place at a point considerably in advance of that,at whic i the f leaf is first engaged lby the holding and feeds mgmeans, and that if the leaf orstem is r egripped several times suchre-grlp ing Awill take place at successive points in t e direction offeed of the leaf, as well as at' successive points in thelength of thestem from the tip toward the butt, o`r. in such other direction as maybc characteristic of the stemming operation.

The leaf or stem is held or gripped, and afterward re-gripped, tothebest advantage by parallel holdingv or griplpmg and regrip pingdevices, such as end ess conveyers or belts disposed in pairs betweenwhich the leaf Oivleaves may be held and fed, and it will be evident'that when such'parallel feedbelts or conveyers are employed they will beof different lengths, the main belt er belts serving to engage the leafand f c'cd forward the same as it enters the feed mechanism, while theregrip )infr belt or belts will engage the leaf after t e hitter hasbeen fed forward some distance, :1n d usually'after the leaf has beenope y erated vupon by one or more of the leaf-treat. ing devices.Ordinarily the leaf will be held and fed by gripping it near one y n'both ends, and in the present construction b'oth tipgripping andbuttgrip ing devices or feedr belts may be emiloyed, in order that eachleafymay be held drmly at two iixed points in the length thereof, andafterward re-gripped and tensioned between such points duringl the proer steps in thetreatmcnt of the leaf.

Anot er important feature of the present improvements lis the provisionof means for tensioning the leaf or stem in order that the o .eratingdevices may coact with the` leaf to t e best advantage. IThe leaftensioning means may be of any-suitable t \ipe,'but l prefer to employ adevice effective for tensioning' theleaf between the two i'ixedpointsatwhich it is gripped by leaf-holding means effective at separated pointsin the length of the leaf or its stem, the prclerred constructlon bemgthat 1n which astem-grippmg tenslon device is disposed between theparallel lll) holding devices or belts and tensions the leaf somedistance.

or stern alter such leal has been ted forward ln this construction theregrippingdevices or neltsmay tensionmg means, and nence where two ormore belts used for re-gripping they will constitute tensioning andre-tensipning devices for taling up the orsteinf at succes-- sive pointsin the direction oi' feed` as the leaf 'portion of the stem usuallybetween lined points thereof, as just indicated, without disturbing theoriginal transverse position of the remainder' of the stem. The creaseso made will ordinarily be substantially Ushaped, as l ind that this canbe made readily without.

bre airing the fibers oi the stem or injuring the blade portion of "theleali. The re-Uripping devices or belts when they also consi te thetension devices will, of course,

creasing or stern bending when so used will be construct manner. pair ofcoacting or complementary lect-feeding conveyers or belts will 5 leaf orstern to dill'erent depthsfrom others.

usually consist ot a longitudinally-charmeled also constituterfuers, andl .i ni a novel or grooved belt and a cooperating belt or l however, inorder'to operate to the best adband iitting such channel or groove, thepreerred construction being that 'in which one belt has a convened orrounded Working face -and the other a Correspondingly-concaved ,in sucha manner as to hug a cooperating feedA this invention.

face.

ln order that the feed-belts 'just described son one belt" of each pairmay be suitably Weighted in such a manner as to assure itspropercoaction with the other belt. A feed mechanism embodying afeed-belt Weighted member or beltand grip a leaf iirmly constitut'esonlevof the most important features of Such a belt should 'obviouslylose nothing of its flexibility when so weighted, and for this reason afreely mobile lmedium should constitute the means for @liviously thismobile.

Weightingl the, belt. Weighting medium should also be heavy, and manydii'lerent media might be employed which would fulfil these twoconditions, and

in the construction shown in these drawings.

agheavy liquid, such as mercury, is employed for weighting one or morebelts, and solid shot for Wei hting others.

mercury Will usually be employed on account of its greater Weight.Moreover, when the When it is de. .sired todlol the leatl or stemvery'tightly belt containing the mobile weighting medium is atubul'arone, as will ordinarily be the case, and tlie'opening extends throughoutthe entire length of the belt, the latter may .be only partially lilled,especially if the beltis disposed in a substantially horizontalposition, when only the lower run of the belt need conv tain thefreely-movable mercury.

ln several respects the main feeding means for gripping the leaf andcarrying the same forward is a radical departure from the cor respondingmeans shown in my prior patent hereinbeforereferred to, the principalfeature of dilierence, however, being the employnient of continuousconveyers or feed-belts instead of the separate opening'and closingclamping members shown in the former case. ln order that they may gripthe'leaf and its stein most effectively during the feeding operationthese main holding and feeding belts shouldbe disposed in pairs, one ofwhich is usuallyfchanne'led and the other shaped to tit in such channeland crease the leal'i 'orfstem in substantially the manner All of thesefee-d devices or .belts should,

vantage'be laced With rubber Where they are intended to the leaves.

ln stemming tobacco-leaves by machinery it has been found extremelydiilicult to sever the blade portions and veins vof the leavestransversely and then separate such blade portions and the stern Withoutbreaking the latter, and another important feature of the Y presentimprovements is the employment of ineanswhich will overcome thedifficulties heretofore encountered in treating leaves in this manner.before referred to l have illustrated devices suitable-for the purposeof severing the blade ortions of the leaf transversely, and this eingthe best means known to me at this time for the purpose is retained inthe presentv construction, but. a novel vein-severing device is employedin connection therewith'.J

The blade portionof a leaf ol almost any kind, and especially of atobacco-leaf is, as is well known, quite tenderjand easily severed or rutured,while the veins being' considera ly stronger and tougher are notsoreadily severed, and the stem, which is the strongest and toughest partof the leaf, is, of course, the most difficult part to cut or rupture. Adevice, therefore, which might easily sever or puncture thebladeportion' of the leaf would not necessarily be capable ln my priorpatent herein,

`facts depends the use of the different severing media which constitutethe main features of the leaf-treating mechanism embodying `my presentinvention; and I have illustrate herein'a plurality of severing devicesof different efiiciencies 'as severing media, the blade-severing meansbeing soconstructed as to part the blade portion of 'the leaf without,breaking the veins, while the vein-- severin-g means Will sever or breakthe 'veins Without parting tlie,stem of the leaf, these several'inediabeing therefore of successivelyy.increasing eiiiciencies, theirefficiencies usually increasing in the order of their operation', "Inconnection with this portion of my present inventiony it should be notedthat not only may the devices for operating upon different parts of theleaf be differentially effective, but the blade-severing means .may

be made up .of a,plurality orseriels of ,puncturizig devices ofdifferent efficiencies as blade severing or puncturing media,. the

blade-'severing means employed in this case embodying a plurality ofdevices operative for making puiictures or perforations ofdifferent'lengths or in different positions in the 'bladeportions of aleaf, the lengths of the punctures usually. increasing 'as the leaflcomes into position to be operated, upon by successive lblade-severingor puncturing (levices. l

A blade-puncturing device embodying a plurality of puncturing membersyieldingly mounted in such a manner as to avoid the veins and stein of a.leaf is the preferred means for severing the blade of a leaftransversely; and as I have found that vein severing .devices 'whichoperate with a cutting I 'action arey liablel to cut the stem also, Icon-` Sider it of the utmost importance to ern loy in a machine of thistype some'means w iich. will exert upon the veins of the leaf a'force'sufficient to rupture the same, which force,

however, will beutterly inadequate., for

rupturing or breaking th'e much stronger and tougher stem. v l 'l l i As'before explained, tobacco and similar leaves are naturally of such astructure-as to render practicable to employsevering media for theblade'portions, veins and the stem,v which media may be of suchconstructionthat the least effective will not break the vein-s, whilethe vein/severing medium may be incapable'of rupturingv the stem and ascutting devices, so far as I amaware, will not operate in this manner,but riiay at any time cut entirely rthrough the stem iffa leafisiinproperly positioned, I believe that the cinlployment of avein-severing device which will exert a force or stress sufficienttobreak or 'rupture a leafvein, but insufficient to rup-l ture ormaterially weaken aaleaf-stem, vis av distinct advance inthe mechanicaltreatment o stemming of leaves, and I consider within e scope of myinvention any construction embodying a blade-severing device and alsohaving a vein breaking' device of higher 'efficiency as a severingmedium and operative for parting a vein without cutting it.

The means which I prefer t0 'employ for severingtheveins of a leaf is adevice having aplurality 'of blunt members or elements usually ofdifferent degrees of elasticity, the

-device illustrated herein being a leaf-treating brush having a circuitof elements, or rows of elements alternately yielding andrigid, and therigid elements being of any suitable t e, such as metallic staples,.'while the yielding elements will usually be brush-tufts. Thisvein-severing device or brush is intended to rotate and elements or rowsof elements should be regupreferably will coperatelwith another similarbrush, and the alternating' larly spaced .for the reason that inpractice i the rigid elements of one brush will coact or intermesh withthe yielding elements of a cooperating brush to break the veins. "I

have found that this organization of the coacting rotary brushes isimportant., as coactingrigid elements'of the brushes would be liable tobreak the stems,- while enacting yielding elements probably would notexert a stress vsufficient'to break the veins. A leaftreating member o'rbrush of this type constitutes a -suitable means for 'stemming the leafby stripping the blade portion thereof from the stern, and in themachine illustrated in the drawings of this'application the vein'-severing brushes operate to effect afpreliminary or partial stemmingsimultaneously wit the vein-severing operation, and, moreover, the-'imamstemming operation is .also preferably effected by similar brushes.

y, As before stated, my improved machine is intended to feed Athe`leavesforward and to part or sever the blade portions and veins thereof in aline transverse to the stem of each leaf, and hence many oftheleaf-treating and feeding devices will ordinarily be disposed inalineme'nt with one another. In this case the first re-gripping andtensioning device or belt is intended to operate in the line ofseparation of the blade, and hence substantially 'in alineinent with theblade severing or puncturing devices, this re-grippingdevice serving toengage the leafpstem at a 'point where it has beenlaid bare by theremoval of a strip of the blade; and I prefer to provide a clearingdevice, such as a rotary brush, for forcing or holding back the bladelongitudinally of the leaf just before the bare portion of the stem isengaged by the rc-gii ping device, as otherwise the re-gripping elt mayengage and. hold a portion of the blade which is to be separatedfrom thestem. Of course the vein-severing device operates in aline-A ment withthe blade-severing means,\and

I further on in the operationthe leafstem may besevered b y a cutting orother member' also in alinement with the blade-puncturing devices..

. -ln stemming a leaf from a given point in the length thereof towardeither end ofI the leaf` the thickness and strength of the stem vary iprogressively, and, of course, vin stemming o slamming device., ofdifferent e SUL.

which will usually berotary brushes, being disposed ordinarily atsucccessively-steeper angles to the line of feed of the leaf, andtherefore operating to strip the blade portion of the leaf from the stemmore rapidly as the stemming operation progresses from the tip ftowardthe butt.

The last stemming device may also be operated at ahighierrate of speedthan the other or others.

Other features of my present improvements refer to a gravitativeclamping device for pressing coacting leaifeeding conveyers tightlyagainst intermediate-leavesto be fed, and they treat also of certainother matters which will be liereina'ftendescribed.

lnthe dravfings accompanying and forining part of this specification,Figure 1 is a plan ofaleaf-treating or leaf-stenii'ning rnachineillustrating one' embodiment of niy present improvements. vation of thesaine; Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional elevation. of aportion of the same illustrating the blade-severing devices and alsoclamping means and a clearing device, the secti n being takensubstantially inline 3 3, ig.` 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged transversesectional elevation, the section being taken substantiallyl in line4-"4,

Fig. 2, looking from the right in said vient Fig.`5"is an enlargedtransverse sectional elevation Vof said machine, the section' beingvtaken substantially in line 4-4, Fig. 2, look- 4 ing from the left insaid view. Fig: 6 is Y a 'substantially central longitudinal sectionalelevation of the machine, the section being.

taken in line 6 6, Fig. 1. 'Fig 7'is a diagrammatic vievvY illustratinthe successive steps in the operation of feerling, and treating theleaves. treated leaf' with its severed parts assembled toy illustratethe manner. in Which/f1 it is stemmed. Fig. 9 is anv enlarged sectionaldetailillustrating my im rovedmercury-belt andvits coperating fee -beltFig. 10 isA an.

enlarged end elevation'illustrating two OPf erating biaishes oftheimproved .type hereinf Fig. 2 is aside vele-.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged ,view of a l before described for severing the'veins of the' leaves; and Fig. 1.1 is a side elevation of the -I saine.Figs. 12 to 15, inclusive, are enlarged details illustrating theconstruction of the several punctuiing-ivheels. Figs. 16 and 17` are.enlarged details illustrating the stem-severing device ivhichl prefer'toemploy. Fi s. 18 to 22, inclusive, are enlarged sectional ctailsillustrating theI manner inwhich and the extent to Wiiich a stem isregripped and retensioned at successive points during the stemmingoperation.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in thedifferent figures of the drawings.

The framework of the machine may be of "any construction suitable forsupporting the several operative parts. of the mechanism, it

A embodying in the present instance longitudinal beams, such as A,connected at intervals by cross-beams B, and suplported by p'osts oruprightsl C.- T he severa operative parts may be driven from anysuitable source of power in any1 suitable mannerfas, for in- Istance,ironia main driving-Wheel l), carried by a shaft 2 journaled in suitablebearin s, and having secured thereto a pair oisma er pulleysD anrblf",the former oi- Which is connected by a driving-band 8 with a band' WheelD", supported on a shaft 4 and also journaled in suitable bearings,While the pulley D. carries a belt 5, suitably twisted aroundguide-rolls to drive a small pulley 6, l

. carriedby a shaft 7 journaled at one side of the machine, "(see Fig.1,)V and operatively connected with diilerent parts ofthe mechanism. Y

F rom the driving-pulley D the leaf-feedl ing means or belts areintended to be driven by suitable connections, such, for example,

4as those shown herein, and which einbody'in.

"part a sprocket-chain 8 passing around corresponding sprocket-ir heels9 and-.10, the former on vthe shaft 4 and the latter on a shaft 12, thisshaft 12 also having a pinion forming part of a train of gearing,(designated in a general vray by-13,) and adaptedto drive at a muchslower speed a v shaft 14 carrying a sprocketavheel l 4', connected by a,sprockets chain 15 to a sprocket-Wheel 16 supported onA a stud 17,an'dsecured to a pinion 16in mesh with another pinion 18', carried by ashaft 18 journaled in bearings at the extreme righthandend ofthemachine, (see Fig. 1,) and having secured thereto pulleys 18 and aspur-gear 18 this latter.l gear being in mesh, in'this case, with apinion 19 secured to a shaft. `19, and carrying a presser-roll 19adapted to hold one of the re-gripping belts (indicated herein by 2U) inengagement vfith the pulley 18".v The spur-gear 18 also, in vtheconstruction shown, drives the' conveyer or feed-belt.whichcoperatesWith the belt construction bya pinion 21.. 2,)siiitl-A 20,"moveinentbeing Vimparted in the present 13o j 45 pulle ably supported .lon ashaft 2l. carrying a puh ley (not shown) around which a beltfindi-Catedpby 20) passes and cooperates v. ith the upIper belt 20. At theirinner ends the two be tsA 20 and 20 are suitably supported by rolls orpulleys 22 and 23. (See Fig. 2.) o In the present case -it is intendedto drive lthe main feed"`devic'e or feed-belts from the' .shaft I4,which, in the construction illus-v 10 trated has thereon a large pulleyor band,

wheel '14, supportingf'in this instance, a long and somewhat heavyconveyer or feed- I belt x25 which extends to the extreme left hand endof the machine, and is there carried around a large pulley 26 supportedon a shaft 26 iournaled in opposite sides of the frame. The belt Whichisclearly shown in Fig.- 6, constitutes the main conveyer or l feedbeltfor supporting .and feeding the tip 20 ends of the, leaves to betreated, and said belt Will preferably be a'somewhat Wide one 'having aplural-ity of longitudinal channels or grooves, see Fig. l, in4 theleaf-gripping face thereof and extending entirely around '25 the belt.4One of these grooves may be confv siderably deeper than the other inorder to obtain a iirm grip upon the leaf-stem andl'bend the latter to asuflicient extent tg assure the clamping of the leal'irmly in placevduring the feeding operation. .The shaft 26 Amay also haye thereonanother 'large pulley, such as 26., around `vhich may pass other4conveyerjs nr feed-belts, such as 27 and 27', for gripping 'theopposite or butt ends ofthe leavesv to be fed andgtreated, these beltsbeing obviouslypositioned, inthe preferred construction, in parallelismwith the belt 25. The belts 27 and 27 are not, however, in this caselquite as longl the belt 25, the

l0 formerending preferably at about the point Wherethe last set ofstemming ,devices of the `main vstemming-rolls begin to operate upon theleaf,.and in the construction shown it will be' seeiiythat .said 'belt27 passes arou-nd a 28, supported on short shaft 2S suita. ly journaledin the framework.` The belt\27, is some-What longer and does not releasethe butt of the leal` until the stemming has been almost'fmished. Saidbelt passes 5.0 around af pulley 28.carried by astud 28. As .it isydesirable to support eachleaf atas 'manyfpoints-in its length as may benecessaryvtoassure the proper location thereof -luring its passagethrough the machine,l the t5 shaft 26 `may also sup ort other pulleyscar- 'ryingladditional feedelts, such as 30- and '31, the former ofwhich it: carried around a lpulley 32" on a shaft 32, While thelatterpasses to a' large pulley 33",.,carricd by a G0 shaft 33 journaledat'its opposite ends in opposite sides of the frame.

In all' of the instances hereinbefore mentioned, an`d indeed in everycase illustrated in the machine,l the under feed-beltoteach.

set .of leaf-feeding conveyers *constitutes the vfirmly gri the stems ofthe leaves. 4

principal feed device of such set and does most ofthe Work of feedingthe leaf forward, the upper member or belt of'cach pair being intendedprincipally as a means lfor holding shaft 322, by a 'similarsprocket-chain 36 and asprocket-Wheel 32', connection may be made toashaft 37 at the underside of the machine, (see particularly Fig. 3,) andcarrying a pinion 37 in. mesh with a pair of spurgears '38 and 39, theformer of which is intended to transmit movement to the blade severingor puncturing devices, ,While the latter may be connected in a similarmanner to impart movement to the iirst re-gripgvlng device orbelt andcertain other parts.

In the construction .illust-rated the purgear 38 is carried by a shaft38 having thcrreon a sprocket-wheel, .(see Fig. 3,) around which passesa long sprocket-01min 40, which is carried, 'in this case, back andforth around sprock-et-pinions of alllof th bladepunctu'ring devices orWheels and the loafsupporting members or disks cooperating with them,these parts beii'igconnectcd inthis l vmanner 1n order that they mayrotate in unison exactly as ify they were geared together bytoothed-Wheels. these members are connected is clearly shown in Fig. 3,and it is believed need not be further described.

The number of uppeffeed-bclts for pressing down the leaves on to thelower feed-belts The manner in which I o1' conveyors may, of course, bevaried at will, but in this case I deem it desirable to employ four,main, upper feed-belts anda number of auxiliary belts, some of which, ofcourse, will be the ones-for re-gri ping the leaves. oase are indicatedby 25,25, 27 and 27., the belts 25 and 25 serving to hold down the tipend of the leaf and the bolts 27 and 27 to grip the butt end thereof,all of these belts being preferably lrounded on their gripping facesinorder" to press the leaf into corresponding grooves in the under beltshereinbefore mentioned and thus crease and Another belt, pre erably ashort flat one, suchy as illustrated herein at i 3], (see articularlyFigs.4 3 and 4,) may `be supported on rollers, as at 41., 41 and41,.jo'urnaled preferably in brackets carried by the framework, thisbelt The four main, upper be ts in this serving to grip the leaves onbelt 3l and i hold them down firmly near the middle portions thereofduring their passage jbetWeen the members of the blade-severing devices.lThis belt may be considered as part ofthe main feeding' means, as whatI term the regripping of the leaf should not ,ordinarily take placeuntil after the severing of the blade and the veins. Another and some-What longer upper belt may also co erate v'vith the lower intermediatefeed-bet 31', the other-belt being indicated herein by 31", andpreferably having a round gripping face, as. Will be clear by referringparticularly to `igf4, the lower belt 31' having in this instanceasuitably-shaped, longitudinally- .grooved channel into which the belt31" may dip to gain a iirni hold upon the leaf and also properly tensionthe leaf and its stem before it is subjected to the action of theblade-severing and veinsevering media. lThis belt 31" is clearlyillustrated indetail in Fig. 9, and isintended to be Weighted by meansof some. mobile medium,

preferably a heavy fluid, such as mercury, an

this feed device constitutes What l term a mereury-- belt, and isintended Ato elarn-p`the leaf firmly at one side of the line ofseparation of the latter.

the blade/and veins during the severing of Preferably this Ybelt `vvillbe a round one havin a rubber leaf-en aging tread er face, an the beltwill usua ly be tubular in order that only the lower `or working runthereof need be filled with mercury, the upper run being thus leftunvveighted, as will be evident' from Fig. 9, to prevent undue saggingof such run and possible injuryl to the belt. It will be apparent thatany suitable means might be employed', however, for Weighting the belt31", and indeed Certain other belts illustrated in the drawings of thepresent applic ation are weighted in a different manner, as by means ofsmall shot freely movable in their tubular coverings. ln theconstruction illustrated this mercury-belt is supported on suitablerolls or ulleys, suchA as 45, and 47', the former eing locatedimmediately in the rear of the blade-severing devices for the upper run,the roll 4G being merely for supporting and'guiding the u per v run, andthe roll 47'- being Carried by a s iaft 32" `on the shaft 32.

47, (see Figs. 1 and 4,) supported in bearings inthe upper longitudinalbeams of this part of the framework.' .ln order to assure the absolutetiming of the movements of opposite ends of the long, upper,tip-gripping feedbelts 25 and 25" l may also gear the shaft 48--Carryingthe pulleys supporting the left hand ends of these upperfeed-belts-directly to theshaft 32 supporting thev pulleys for the lowerfeed-belts 25' and 25"', the

connection illustrated herein being a spurpinion 48" onthe shaft 48 anda spur-gear (SeeFigs. 1 and 4.) As before stated, the spur-gear 39'(shown Inost clearly in Fig. 3) is carried by a' shaft supporting as)rocket-yvheel around Which passes a sproc it-chain adapted to driveeertain parts of the re-gripping means, and

Iit will be seen in this ease that said sproelretchain,which isindicated 50,passes around a sprocket-pinion carried ya shaft 51vjoureedaee naled in suitable bearings and supporting a pulley 51',carrying the rear or inrtialend of the first re-gripping lbelt thatclamps the leaf or its stem after the blade portions and veins thereofhave been severed.

The iirst re-gri ping belt which engages a leaf after its blar. e andveins have been severed is indicated herein by 52 and may be a "intowhich the Working-face of the belt l may t to tension the leaf in theline of separation of the blade and'veinavfhile the leafy is held atpoints at op osite sides of the regripping belt. lhe'be t .52' issupported at its rearor initial end by a pulley or roll, suoli as 53,which may be mounted in. brackets carried by the framework, Whilev atthe forward end rthereof said belt may be supported by a pulley 21" enthe shaft 21. Further on in the travel ef the leaf through the niaehineit may be engaged. by another re-grip- This re-gripping- A ing device orbelt, such as 54, the rear or This upper, re-gripping forward end at thesaine oint as the first re-gripping belt 52, anda third, comparativelyshort, upper, rie-gripping belt 56 may also be employed and may alsoterminate at the saine point as the two just deseribed, all of thesebelts in the construction shown passing at such point around a pulley orpulleys carried by a bracket 57. l The second, upper, re-griiiping belt54)cot' },)erates with a corresponding lower re-gripping belt 54',sui'tably supported at its-rear end and carried at its forward endareund a pulley, such 21" on the shaft 21. The'third, .re-gripping belt5 should, of course, cooperate 4with a lower belt 56', (see Fig. 20,)suitably sup )orted and driven. The fourth, re-gripping ielt 2() hasbeen hereinbefere described and also its cooperatingl lower belt 20.Both of these may be flat belts if desired, and the manner in which theyare supported and epperate with each other will be app arent byreferring te Figs. l and 2,'the lower belt being carried by the roll 23.A fifth re-gripping beltsueh as 20"-inay also be used, `with Whielr endof the machine as far as the upper belt 25"', and hencel haveilli1strated`herein at 25a a short lower belt, which p'asses'around apair of pulleys suitably supported on shafts carried by the framework,(see Fig. 6,) this short belt being construct-ed in substantially `thesame manner as the belt 60 having thereon la sprocket-wheel .60

around which passesa sprocket-chain 6l `from a sprocketpinion carried bythevshaft I gripped and retensioned at different 37.' (See Figs. 3 and6.) The manner in which thele'af-stem is re during the stemmingoperation isc early shownln detail, on an enlarged scale, in Figs.

18l to 22,1inclusive, from which the operation of thedifferential-tensioning devices or belts Will be obvious. Here allo'tthe upper regrippingdiclts may be substantially similar inconstruction,l but the lower belts, in the grooves oi which theupperbelts are intended to lie,.will 'ordinarily be grooved to differentdepths in orderthat the leaf-stems may be stretched -bydifl'erentamounts at different points during the stemming operation. The

irst' lower regripping-belt, 52, in this case has a groove ofconsiderable dept-h, as there is the 4greatest amount of slack to betaken up immediately after t-he puneturingwhcels and tlie veinbreakingbrushes have operated upon the leaf. Hence the use of thetensioning-'belt at this time, which has a deep/groove suoli as thatindicated in the belt 52. Aitor the first pair of stemming-rolls hasoperated upon. the leaf topartie-,lly stem the latter of course the stemwill be still further stretched by the pull of said'rolls, but not to sogreat an extent as b the action of t-he puncturingwheels an( thevein-breaking brushes. Hence the groove in the lower secondre-tensioningbelt,54, need not be so deep as that in' the belt 525,there being less slack to be taken up in the stem than in the firstcase, and it being .necessary to proportion the r depth of the groove totension the stem by a less amount than in the first case. The pull uponthe stem during the time that the second pair of stemming-rolls is inoperation is such as to result in stretching-such stem to an 'additionalextent, and aft-er passing said sec-4 ond pair oi rolls this slackshould be taken up by a third re-tensioning device, the lower belt 56 ofwhich may'be grooved still less than the belt 54.', asthere will be lessslack in the stem to be taken up by the belts 56 and 56. While the leafis being stemmed by-the final pair of long stemming-,rolls it may beregripped by a fourth tensioning device, the

lower belt 20 of which may have a dee er groove therein than the belt 56in orde-r t at 60 may be taken upon the tough a strong gri lie stemnearer the butt as that portion of t portion of. the stem which isnearer the ti is released by the first three pairs of regrippmg andre-tensioning devices. At another oint,

before the stemming operation is comp eted,

oints still another air of re-tensi'oning devices may grip thelea -stem,and the groove in the lower belt, 20"', ofy this pair maybc somewhatshallower than that in the belt 20,- of

the fourth pair of regripping devices, which- .the stemming-rolls areoperating, and to also maintain the stem taut at such times. The

only way in which this can be donc, so far as. Al am now aware, is toregrip and re-tension at dl`erent points 1n the length ot thestem in thedirection in which the blade portions are stripped therefrom, and by theuse of dilferential-tensioning devices so proportiozwd or adjusted as totake up the varying amount of slack, which must be gotten rid ot' inorder to enable the stemming-rolls to operate pro perly, which theycannot do if themy is milch slack in the stem. Of course during thefirst part* of the stemming operation when the stemming-rolls are oerating upon the tip end of the leaf and p lupon the tender portion ofthe stem the latter will be stretched more than when such rolls areWorking upon the leaf near the thicker and tougher portions of the stem,and therefore the stem willbe stretched moreduring the initial stages ofthe stemming operation than during the middle and latter parts thereof,and in order to obtain the'best results the re-tensioning devices mustbe so proportioned or adjusted as to exert di'erential or varyingtensioning. actions upon the stein, and hence tension such stem bydifferent arnounts, and at the same time grip or tension'thestem nearerandnearer to the butt-end of the stem. lt should be noted here thatwhen'the butt-end of the stem is released by the belts 27 and 27 duringthe latter part of the stemming operation it will not be nccessarytotake up slack from end to end of the leaf, but that if 'thefleaf is heldat one point near its center, as

will not e exertecto any appreciable extent beyond the belt 20. Hence atthis time, as

the stemming-rolls are working u on the free end of the leaf and drawingtaut t at portion between the butt and the belt 20, it is immaterialwhether there is slack-in the leaf between the belt 20 and the belt 25;but for the purpose of obtaining a'stronger holdupon the stem during theast stages of the stemming operation it will be found advantageous toregrip the stem by means ofthe belt 20l maximum employed, and anadditional gripof some kind.-

as the force eXertedat this time is the upon a stein is desirable as amatter of precaution in orderto prevent slipping of the leaf endwise,

All otthese various feed-belts or'conveyers y latter. Most of thepairsof belts are con-A Y structed to creasel some lportion of the leafor its stem, some of them engaging the tip in thismanner, some the butt,and others different or successive pointsv between the tip and thebutt', most of these intermediate gripping devices constituting membersof the 're-gripping means, and some of them being,

y Athe tensioning and retensioning devices for drawing '2 5 eacli'sideof the patlrof tl and in operation they ufr- @refer-ably alt'er-l tlieleaf, then a puncturing' device of theV 'a leaf taut' after it has beenstretched. f f

` In the present construction. the blade-severing means will be thefirst to treatthe leaf,

and this Will noivbe described. ,As before stated all of the differentblade-severing devices and cooperating mei'hbers may be rofated inunison by the sprocket-chain 40 and they are so shown. Vln the preferredcon-` struction l makeuse of, a plurality of bladepuncturing devices forsevering the blade portions of theleaves, and these devices Will besubstantially of the saine type as those Ashown and describedin mypriork patent hereinbefore referred to, but in this 'Case theseveraldevices will bejorganizedand will coo )crate iii-a different manner.Here l have illustrated two series or af such blade severing orpuncturingdeY o be treated,

nate with' one another, that is to say, a puncturmg device of onelseries will first puncture other series, and so on in proper order. As

it is vdesirable/for the purpose, ofthloroughiyr` separating the bladefrom the stem and veins along anyA given line, tovpuncture the bladeportions with incisions 'of different lengths, o r'- at different pointsin the line .of se aration, l prefer to employ a plurality of blae-seveiing devices of different efficiencies, thse beingr usuallysucessively, operative, .the iirst making incisions. of a given lengthor at given points in the blade of the leaf, while a succeedingpuncturing device or devices will make incisions of greater lengthorelse perfoi-ate at different points in such line. In this case I haveshown three puncturing de vices in each series, and correspondingpuncturing devices on opposite sides of the path of the leaf maybesubstantially similar toA cire series at each other. The devices of theupper row are designated by t, b', and b, res ectively,

While those of the lower set are in icated b`y p, p, and 29; All ofthese blade severing or puncturing devices are rotatable as beforeYstated `and willusually have'yielding, puncturing members withsubstantially spearshaped heads of the type aforesaid, .prior patent.The puncturing members or b ades of the puncturing-Wheels and p may beof the saine size, those of the Wheels b and p maybe of the sameor alarger size, While the puncturing-Wheels b 0 .and p may have 'likepuncturing-blades orv spear-heads of greater cross-sectional lengthinthe direction in which the Wheels rotate .than those of the otherpuncturing-Wheelsf In the present case l have illustrated in detaillinFigs 12l to 15, inclusive, the construction ofthe puncturingewheels b,t, and.I

b, Said Wheels being c'arried in this case by shaftsA 100, 100, and.100, which, it should be understood, will be'sp orted by suitablebearings l puncturing-Wheels will haveia' hub or body portion, Vsuch as101, secured to itsshaft in some suitable manner, and it will also havea circuit of puncturing members or bladen. In the present case embodiesashankor stem, such as 102, the inner end of which may be secured in-anotch in the hub'101, and may be held in place in any suitablemanner-as, by means of cemeiit. rlhese shank portions of the punc:turing membersdare preferably flat strips of metalwhich Will-yield4readily in the direction of rotation of the puncturing-Wheel, and

the outer end thereof eachl shank may carry a puiicturing-hear.,preferably arrovv-y shaped, as shown at 103, the flat portions of thehead and' the shank lyingin planes perpendicular to each other.'ASubstantially the onlyT difference that the shanks 102 'are spacednearer to gether than the Shanks 102'l While theshan-ks each puncturingmember y described in my' on the framevvor -Each'of these4 in the Wheelst, and b"is i iio 102 are spaced still farther a art than those shown at102', A I members or spear-heads 108 Will make shorter perforations thanthe spear-heads 103, while the spear-heads '103,'being1still` larger,Will make longer perforations than the spear-heads 103. Thev result ofthis is that in operation all of the spear-heads Will yield if they*strike the stem or thel veins, and the incision in the blade portion ofthe leaf Will bemade gradually as the different sizes of s' ear-headscome into action, thus avoiding the danger ofvwasting the stock bytear-ing or breaking theblade of the leaf improperly.

ln order that'the leaves may be properly ing-Wheel thereon, l prefer toprovi e in connecticn with these, Wheels a lurality of rotary leafsupportingdevices all of which mayA be of the same" construction, thesedevices.

and l that t ieY perforating supported during the action of anyVuncturbeing ind ieetedin e general wey by s. Each may embodya pair ofdisks of the seine dif ameter supported et opposite sides of the planeof rotation of the puncturing-iifheel,

, type suitable for the purpose and may cooperate with theleef-holding-:inddeeding ineens et any point in the length .olthe stein-but preferably neer the butt, and in the construction shown thisclamping device, which is illustrated clearly in detail in Fig. 3, mayengage the inner sides of the leef-holding runs of the feed-belts 31 end31', while the inercuryfbelt 31 will, of course, uni-terizilly increasethe effectiveness of the leef-holding end cliimping Ineens. Thisclempingineiins may be of any construction suite-ble for the purpose,but preferably will einbody one or more clamping members, usuallyclamping frames, such esj' and j", the upper one et leest of whichshould here its clamping-fece formed ol e series ofsniell rolls w lichwill turn freely iis the leefdeedmg belts edvuucc. lin 4this cese erichof the l'ieinesf undj" bus ii series of such rolls, those of the upperfreine being indicated by .65, while those of the lower freine eredesignated by 6.5. ln order to incrense the clamping eli'ect oi" theclamping. member or ironie j', `I deein it Viicl\fzinta g'eous to mountthis so that it will be ce able of yielding but will still be tensioneand for this reason l prefer to ineke the puiicturiiig-ulioelsvbut erenot iis clloct- .this freine member-f of such size that it cen beweighted heiivily end exert e considerable pressure upon the Working runofthe heilt ,3 lu this .euse this. grsixitetive, cliiinping nienibei' isconnected to a suitable portion of the ironie by links, such ris 66, undits weight l. will kee i it down in close contact with the belt an willassure the proper clinupiiijr of .thelerwes to be Atrezilcd.

l have stated hereuibefore ihnt not only' iniiyk the lblede-'scw'erinsrdevices be ol dill l 'lterent etliciencies es blode-sereriiu: lundis.

but that the Vein-sevcriug device should be of greater eliiciency thanthe l:lude-sei'eiiiir` stein for e shortJ distance in the direction ofthc stemming operation.

devices und should be capable ol' exerting u force or stress sulicientto disrupt or .breek the veins. Any vein-severingi device opere` i theleiil' is engaged by tliere-grippuig belt 52,

tivefn this ninnncr muy be cniployod und is within the scope ol' uijypresent invcntu'in,

'but I prefer :to Ineke use oi' u vein-screriiig` device of the typeshown herrin und illusln this `iii-onetimetion two rotary,intei'iucshing, j

trailed-cleanly in. Figs. 3, 4, ll), und ll.

712, pussing around sprocket-pinions on the shaft 7 und over suitablepairs of guidesproclgets, such :is 73 und 73', (see Furs; and 4,) twoshort shiifts, such iis 'I5 un( 75,

each. cerrying spi'oclietfwheels, also liu-ving springe/airs 76`end 76',meshing with correr spending piiiions 77-suid I7T secured .to sheftscarrying the brushes 'ii und ii.

As before pointed out, il prefer to employ as the Vein-severing devicescooperating inf terineshing brushes of novel construction. Erich of,these brushes, in the prefer-redeemstruetion, has a, circuit ofvein-severing eleineiits of different efficiencies vein-breekinginediti, sind here l. have shown 'two ri-ltern listing rows ofbrush-tufts 7S of considere-ble vflexibility und rigid members 79, whichmuy be of any proper inziteriiil und slnipe, but in this ense urevround-faced metullic staples. In assembling the brushes cere should beteken to here the rein-breaking nienibers properly disposed rohitivelyto erich .other with the stupl-os ,opposite l,the brush-tuftsthroughout, (seo Fig. 19,) and hence the brush-tufts und the rigidineinbers .or staples should be rcguliirly spaced, thc'siiinerintervailbeing preserved preferably throughout the peripheries of both, brushes.Coircting brushes of this roustruction lieve been found in prin-tire tooperate with u high .degree of elliriency end exert :i stress or pull`upon the veins oi ur leiil suilicieut to sever such veins, but are notsullicicntljv powerful to breuk the leef-steine. They, therefore, :ircol' u higher degree ol'v olliciency :is severing inediti then ive forthis purpose es the device (,licrciniillter to be nicnliouod) whichlwill usually employ for severing thc stein neer the close of thetreatment of the loef. Those vein-seyering brushes should bc so locatedits to bres-lr the veins in the liuc ol' so )eration of the lettit by'und heure nrc iii uliucinoni with ihr lutter.

'iis n. nieu-iis lor cll'eeiiiig :i slight or preliniinui-y stripping:Iof the leal', the feces of coactiug elements bring usually of suchwidths :is not only to broek Llic Veins, but ulso t brush brick thebliidcporlions ofy the leef from .the

After the veins the leef have been severed, und ust-.before the bladeportions 'of the leef may be forced out of the wily in the three-tion inwbiohthe loef is stennned by :i clearing device, whieh nier be u neri-owbrush, such es 250, ,rotated ,in tiny suitiihis n nriiiier, iis, lforerruuple, lfrom 1 ill) the upper vein-severiiig brush o, said clearingbrush being'connected in this case to the shaft of the brush o by ashaft 81 having therein' one or more universal joints. The clearingbrush will force the blade of the leaf back slightly just before thebare portion of t'hes'te'in 'is engaged by the re-gripping belts 52 and52'., and will prevent the engagement of the blade portions between suchbelts. As soon as' the leaf passes betweenv 'these belts'52 and 52 itis, of course, tensioned by the creasing of the leafsteni between theround-faced niercury-belt? and the concave groove in the working faceofthe belt 52 and any slack in the leaf andits stein, due to thestretching of the latter by the blade-severing and vein-severingnica-iis, will be taken up and theleaf will be drawn and `held taut forfurther treatment. Soon after -the leaf is engaged by these re-,grippingbelts it arrives at a point Where it may be operated uponby the stemmingmeans proper. The

stemming means nia-y beof any suitable type, but, as before stated,brushes of the type shown at--v and c may be employed, and I prefer touse theni for the purpose. ln the present constructionv the stemming'means embodies a plurality of successively-effective stemming devicesdisposed at different angles to the path of feed of tlie'leaf from thatoecupied by the vein-severing devices, and usuallythese steniiningdevices will be disposed at successivelyssteeper angles` tosuch path;

Three o'f these stemming devices' arev illustratedin the drawings ofthis application, the

first of tliein being designated in a general way by S, the second by S,and the tiiird by S. The stemming devices S and S are of substantiallythe saine construction and substantially Y,similar to the vein-stemmingdevices, but the brushes are of differentlengths,

those of the stemming device S being soiiie-` what longer than those ofthe stemming device S. Moreover, these two stemming devicesWillusuallybedisposed at different aii-.

gles to the path of the leaf and in different positions in the length ofthe stein, the stemlining device S Working nearer the butt end of theleaf than the preceding stemming device, while the stemming device Sworks still farther toward the extreme butt end of the leaf and itssteni.

The angles at which the brushes ofthe several stemming devices aredisposed' relatively to the line of feed of the leaf will be such as toassure the stemming of the leaf to the best advantage without Yim osing'thereuponany undue strain, especially during the vearly stages of thestemming. Hence the angles at which these stemming devices are placedvwill vary but slightly, as the force exerted by `the stenining-rollsshould increase gradually and not violently as would be the Efase iftthe4vangle of the stemming-rolls S relative to the line ofy feed Were verymuch greater than that.

esoneri of the steiniiiing-rolls S, or if the angle of the third set ofrolls S were very niucli greater than that ofthe second set Sf rPhenianncr in whichl prefer to mount ,and drive the several steinniingdevices is clearly shown in Fie. 5, from which it will be seen that thecoacting brushes and 9U of the stemming device S and 91 and 91 of thestemming device maybe mounted on shafts carried. iii brackets linsubstantially the saine manner as l the brushes 1 'and ii', and thatthey may be` driven in substantially thel saine. way, ,that is, bypinioiis on the brushi shafts meshing with the gears on shafts and Q2and Q3 and 93, these shafts carrying sprocket-Wheels around which passsprocketchains, such as Q5 and 95 and 96 and 96', to

stemming device S the leaf may again vbe gripped by' the third pair ofre-gripping belts, while during its-treatnieiit by the stemming deviceS, and before the steninjiiiig is"coni pleted,- the stein iay bere-grippjed by the fourth and fifth sets of re-,fripping belts 24),

20', 20, and 20. The steiiiiningdevice S is substantially siniilar totheotliers, errcept that the brushes are. preferablyveiy much longer, asshown at 9T and 9S, and may be disposed to advantage at' a somewhatsteeper angle to the path of feed of the leaf,

thereof, which is inuchy stronger than at points near the tip andcenter, and the leaf need not, therefore, be,so carefully handled atthis stage of its treati'neiit. This positioning of theseveral'steniniiiig` devices at successively-increasing angles alsopci'nn'ts the construction of' a machine somewhat shorter than wouldotherwise be the case. The two asthese rolls strip the leaf near thebutt llO brushes 97 and 98 are suitablyssupported for.

rotation ,1 and theirshafts'are preferably directly connected bye pairof pinions Q7 and 98 for rotation in unison.. l These two' iolls may bedriven from an independent source of powerif desired, and at ja higherrate `of speed, and for this purpose the shaft Q7 yofthe upper roll hasthereon a band-Wheel l100.

At' some suitable point, such as that indicated in Figs. l and 7 a steinsevering or cutting deviceuch as a rotary knife k-niay bev placed anddriven' in any desired niamiei" in order to part the unstenirned ti pend of the leaf from the stein and the butt. In this ease Ithe knife 7ceoe'e'ts with 'the roll r with which it is' in conta-1ct, the knife :indthe roll,

which will usuallyvv be wood, bei ng rotated by the stem ns the leaf 1sfed tln'ough the nntc-lnne, and serving to ycut snch stem during itspassage therebetween, es will bev pendii)Y- *l'ltn'deistood by referenceto Figs. 16 :ind i7.

The operation lof a machine constructed in accordance with my presentlmproveinents fis ilhistrated in the embodiment thereof shown in thedrawings of this application will be readily understood from theforegoing description, but may be loriefl.)r stated nfs follows,reference being had pnrtienlerly to 7: Leaves nre fed int-o the machine,in @my suitable nia-nner at the leftJhzind end thefroOf, Iand each lenfwill be carried forward on the stem-ming :ind feeding conveyers or belts'for supporting the tip, the butt, and en intermediate portion thereof,end will be can riednl-ong until the tip end posses under the weighted*fecdbelts 25 and 25, when `the tip will be creased between the opposingconvex and concave faces of 'the belts and will be clamped firmly inplatee. SxiortljyY einer this, and 'before it renclies the'blade-severing de- Vices, the 'butt end of the loof will be enge-gedand creased in a similar .inf-'inner by the 'l'ielts 27, 27', 27, and27" and immediately there.- after :in interi'nedinte portion of the leafit .that side thereof between the Abhide-serering devices afnd fthebutt-gripping belts may be i similar-1 T engaged 'by the'internsiedizrte belts 31 and 31', as well is by the short belt 3l theclamping members f nnd 'f also pressing the leef tightly in place stthis time. As the leef carried 4forward it is, lof course, punctured bythe successive wheels p, b, D', y, end b in that order, eind when itemerges from "under the last punt-.turing-wlieel there will be n welldefined line of separation extending entirely across the leaf, except'where the veins and stem still remain int-net. @n passing the.blade-severing means thc vein-severing device will 'come into actionsind will sever the. veins by exerting thereon n sti-css o-r pull ofsuflicient force to breakthe seine, and siinultftneonsly the bladeportions of 'lholeaf will be brushed gbock along the stein in thedirection o'f |the stemming opernlion to leave :i "wide path ofsepnrittion extending entirely across tlieloaf, except where the stemstill remains unbroken. After l nssing the vein- .Se'vering device, andjust. efore beingy en giged by the first re-gripping belts, the

. cleaning brush 8O will come into ,action and brush back 'the rbladeportions of `the leaf out 'of the spath of the =reegripping belts, `andthel 'laltter will engage the stem at that portion thereof which hnsbeen leid bare, and espeoiallfv the part 'most noarlsv ndjment to therough, cut edge ofthe tip, which is the point iii-"the stem most'linbleito bestretched lor weakened by the blade-severing and vein- IE..EL

breaking devices.- Ou passing-between the first re-gripping belts 52sind 52, the. stein will be tensioned and re-gripped, and soon after theintermediate portion of the stein will be released by the 'belts 3l :ind31, Aand the short belt 25 in nhnement with the belt 25'/ will rengagethe tip of the leaf. Thot portion of the leaff between the line of`sepnration and the point et which the bn'tt vis gripped is now releasedand may bc oper sited upon, but i't is tensioned by the re-grip pingbelts 52 nand 52 yand in condition to be properly stemmed by thestemming rolls or brushes S.. These rolls bifusli tliie blade porrtfions-ol' from thel Stem and pnitiztlily stein the lea-f, and thereafter, andbefore the leaf is treated by the stemming device S', the stem isresgripi'icd closer to the butt 'by the second re-gripping andre-tensioning belts 5l and 5l, which will, ofcourse, drew the stern tautsignin mid compensate for any additional stretching to which fit mayila-nre been surbjected. rThe rolls of the stemming device. S nowoperate lto stem the leaf 'to n point ncnrcr `to the butt, and theoperation is somewhat dui-cker than the first one on account of thcsteeper nnglc nt which the rolls are, disposed with reference to thepztth olf feed of 'the leef; but before this stemming `Lotion has beencompleted 'the ftip of the leaf may be pi'trtinlly released 'by Vpassingfrom under the, short bolt 25. After 'passing the .Y steinming device S,the. :Steinway be ngoin regripped fird re-tensioned by `the @third pairof rer-gripping belts, `the opper xone. o1" which is indicsted :it 56 ntn. point still lie-eroix to the butt of `'the lent', and shortlyafterward the len-f will be in position :to be. operated upon b y the'final or principnl str-.mining device S. These stemming-rolls moy haven still 'higher eflicie-ncy os sti'muning media., this result lbcingobtained either by planing the rolls zit a,

steeper angle to the line of feed of 4'the leef,

'held by these belts, the blades-portions of be i lenf muy be brushedcloni' of the stein and the stein severed from the unstonimed tip of thelenf by the stein-severing device -or knife t, after which thisnnstemmed tip will pass beyond the gripping-belts 25 und 25' and willfell to one side of the machine, while. stemmed mein :portions vof :thebinde will full nt the other side of' the machine; und the stein itselfbe carried on 'to the extreme lorword end of such niocl'iiiiie Vw'belts20.

202 and 20. Fig. B illustrates vthe number'of parts into which a leaf isdivided -by this treatment, and the manner in which such division iseffected.

Having thus described my invention, I clainr 1. Leaf-treatinglmeclm-nism vembodying .caf-stemming means operative for stemmingtheleaf away from the point at which it is`- rengaged by theleaf-holding means, and

'i .changeable-grip leaf-holding means coasting therewith and operativefirst for holding the leaf at one point in the length thereof, andafterward for rengaging the rleaf close to the' leaf-.stemming meansand. in the rear of, and

iduring, the stemming operation while said leaf isheld at one point .2.Leaf-treating mechanism embodying leaf-stemming meang opera-tive forstemming a leaf away froml the point at which it ,is rengaged by thestei1i1hol li11g means, amd changeable-grip stein-holding means coactingtherewith and operative 'first for holding the stem at `One point in thelength thereof.,

and afterward for rengaging the stem close to the leaf-stemming meansandin the'i'ear of, and during, the stemming operation while saidstem'is held alt one point.

3. Leaf-treating mechanism embodying leaf-stemming means j operative forstemming a leaf away from the point at which it is rengaffed by thestem-holding means, and stem-holding means havingsuccessivelyeffectiveholding elementsl one .for 'holding '.the stem at'one point in the length thereof and the other for rengaging said stemat .another point close to the leaf-stemming means and in the rear of,and during, the stemming operation while the stem is'held at thefi'rstpoint.

.4.4 Leaf-.treating Imechanism. embodying leaf-stemming means voperativefor stemming a. leac avay from the point at Which it is regripped by thestem-grippmg'means, and

stem-gripping means having successivelyeffective gripping 'faces one forgripping the stemv at one point in the length thereof and the other for.regri ping said stem at another pointclose to the-'eaf-stemming meansand yin the rear of, 4and during, the stemming point.v Q l 5.Leaf-treating mechanism ,embodying operation while y"the stem is held atthe first A leaf-stemming means operative forV stemming a leaf away fromthe\point atr which the regrippin'g device is effective; a leaf-feedingstemfifa'ipping device operativeat one point in the length of the stem;and `a regripping device o erative at another point in the length ofpsuch stein close to the leaf-stemming means, and effective in the rearof, and during, the stemming operation WhileI such stem is held at-thefirst point.l l

6. Leaf-treating mechanism embodying leaf-stemming means loperative forstemming a leaf'away from the point at which the re-y gripping devi-:g-eis effective, and successivelyeffective stem-gripping andstem-regripping leaf-feeding devices one operativefor gripi ping theStemat one point in the length thereofA and the other for regi-ip `ingsaid stem at another point close to tlrefeaf-stemming means and in therear of, and dnringfthe stemming operation while'the stenris held at thefirst point.

7. 'Leaf-treating mechanism' embodying leaf-stemming means operative forstemming' a' leaf away from the points at which the regripping devicesare effective, and also embodying the following devicesfsuccessivelyeffective at successive points in the length of a leaf in the directionin Which'it is stemmedviz., a leaf-gripping device, and 'a pluralityY of'regrippingfd'evices operative close to the. leaf-stemming means andeach effective iny 'the rear of, and during, the stennningoper ationwhile the s'tlem is held at one point.

9. letali-treating mechanism embodying leaf-stemming means operative forstemming a leaf away from the points at ywhich the regripping devicesare effective a leaf-feeding stem-gripping device operative at one pointin the length of .the stem; and successivelyeffective' regi-ip ingydevices operative at 'other points in t e' en gth of such stem close tothe leaf-'stemming mean's, andeffective in the rear ol', andiduring,`the stemming opera-.-

tion.

10. Leaf-treating mechanism embodying leaf-stemming means operative forstemming a leaf away from the points at which the regrippingfdevicels.are effective; a leaf-.feed- 'ing stem-'gripping device operative atone point in the engthof the stem; and successively-effectiveleaf-feeding regripping devices operative at other points in the lengthof such ystem yclosehlto the leaf-stemming means, and effective in therearof, and during, the stemming operation.

11. Leaf-treating mechanism embodying leaf-stemming means operative forstemming a leaf away from the point at which the re-l gripping device iseffective; and also embodying successively-effective parallelstein-gripping and st em-'regripping leaf-feeding s, devices, the former,operative at one point the length ofthe stem, and the other vopera-

